Russell: Now McLaren is our main competitor

      George Russell won the Saturday sprint in Zandvoort, but ended up only third in the main race...

      Question: George, third place was not easy for you. Tell us about the last laps when Hamilton was pressuring you. How difficult was it to keep him behind?

      George Russell: Very difficult. The virtual safety car (VSC) was called at an unfortunate moment for me, as I felt very confident on the Hard tires at that time.

      The race unfolded differently for me and Kimi. I had a tough stint on the Mediums, while he was doing well on them. At the same time, I was very quick on the Hards, and he had difficulties. The safety car allowed Lewis to make a pit stop with minimal time loss, and of course, Kimi also came into the pits.

      At that moment, I realized I would have to defend, but I was doing well in the fast corners, which allowed me to be quick in the third sector and defend in the first corner.

      I am satisfied with my performance. But, as Kimi said, the last couple of weekends have been quite challenging for our team. McLaren's progress is impressive, as is Ferrari's race pace.

      Question: Considering your pace in the Saturday sprint, how do you assess the performance of your car on this track?

      George Russell: When you are leading, everything is much easier, but if you are behind and have the same strategy, it is very difficult to overtake.

      But I don't think the result surprised us much, considering Lando's competitiveness this weekend, especially given his victory in Budapest. This track, with long corners, high tire wear, and a two-stop strategy, is very similar to the Hungarian one. I think this situation may persist for the next two or three races until we improve the car. Let's hope our rivals don't do that.

      Question: What did you think when the team asked you to give up your position to Kimi? At first, it seemed you wanted to stay ahead, but then you let him pass quite quickly. Were you thinking about trying to keep Kimi behind, as you later managed to keep Lewis behind?

      George Russell: Within the team, we always said that if Kimi and I had different strategies, we would never fight each other, but just swap places. That has always been our rule.

      The thing is, Kimi was ahead of me before the safety car came out, and he was trying to protect the team by mirroring Ferrari's actions. Could I have kept him behind? Possibly. On the other hand, I could have ended up fifth. Kimi deserved second place, and third place is a fair result for me.

      Question: You said you approached this weekend relaxed, which helped on Friday and Saturday. After the race, do you feel relaxed?

      George Russell: Yes, I'm fine. Overall, the weekend went positively. I haven't been on the podium for three races now. Considering that we are far from dominating right now, I think it was a good weekend overall. You know, I didn't make it to the podium even when we had the best car, while Kimi was doing well. Now, as you know, we have similar pace. For me, this is an important step forward.

      The weekend went smoothly for me. I didn't have as many problems as in the first half of the season; I was able to focus on my work. But, as I said, the next two or three races will be challenging for us as we are lagging behind on updates.

      Question: Do you think Monza will suit your car?

      George Russell: I think we should be a bit more competitive there. But Ferrari is preparing an engine upgrade, so we just don't know what will happen.

      I believe that these high tire wear tracks suit McLaren very well, especially Lando. He has always been a specialist in such conditions. We saw that last year too. In Monza, the situation might be a bit different, but I think they have now become our main competitor.